Ryan on verge of Tipp appointment

Hurling's most successful manager, Brian Cody, was ratified for another year at the helm in Kilkenny -- his 13th in the Marble County.

In essence, his ratification was merely a formality having stated after Kilkenny's All-Ireland final defeat by Tipperary that he was willing to return for at least one more season.

Kilkenny appoint managers on a year-to-year basis and once Cody was nominated by James Stephens chairman Paul Kinsella at last night's county board meeting, his extended tenure was unanimously accepted.

His long-serving selectors, Michael Dempsey and Martin Fogarty, were returned alongside Cody.

All-Ireland champions, Tipperary, are all set to appoint a new man -- Declan Ryan -- as their senior hurling manager tonight.

There has been no public declarations from the Premier kingmakers but it expected that Ryan will be elected to top office tonight with Tommy Dunne to take on the role of coach and Thurles Sarsfields manager Michael Gleeson to come aboard as selector.

runaway

Ryan has been the runaway favourite for the job since early frontrunners, Nicky English and Ken Hogan, ruled themselves out while Dunne was hotly tipped to be part of whatever new manager team was appointed.

In Meath, meanwhile, the longest running managerial saga of the year is set to come to a head tomorrow night when the county's executive ask club delegates to ratify Seamus McEnaney as their new football manager.

Opposition in the county has been growing since the three-man sub-committee charged with finding a replacement for Eamonn O'Brien decided on the Monaghan native and it could be that the executive are again thwarted by club delegates who opposed O'Brien's re-appointment despite winning a Leinster title this year.

One of the most vocal opponents, former Royal supremo, Eamon Barry, says the costs of hiring an 'outside' management team are prohibitive.

"I'm hearing figures being mentioned of up to sixty and eighty thousand for the year," said Barry, who managed the Royals in 2006.

"We did this job free of charge. It was on a voluntary basis like everyone else before us, Sean Boylan and all his people.

"That's the way the job has always been done in Meath.

"We've proved to be very, very successful doing it that way. I don't believe we need outside people to come in and manage the Meath senior football team."

Barry also criticised Liam Harnan who, having received a nomination to run for the manager's position, decided to row in behind McEnaney.

"I think it's a bit disingenuous of Liam Harnan who received a nomination to become the next Meath manager," claimed Barry.

"Liam failed to put a management team together from within the county and instead took the soft option and rode in behind an outside management team."